Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett has announced a major cross-agency effort that will make meaningful changes to the development application process by streamlining reviews and inspections.

As an initial step, the County is consolidating construction inspections currently being done by the Department of Permitting Services (DPS) and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS). The Montgomery County Planning Board (MCPB) is kicking off this effort with a change in how it reviews DPS-issued building permits

Leggett explained the need for the initiative. “Currently, it takes from one to three years to get through development review and zoning approvals, and obtain building permits. This lengthy time frame ultimately impacts the costs of housing and commercial space and affects residential and commercial end users. Our objective is to eliminate redundant and inconsistent reviews and to shorten the time it takes to navigate the process without compromising quality.”